What role does the CHMP2A gene play in bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, and it is becoming more common in people under 50. Rising levels of obesity are likely to be one of the reasons for this increase.

We currently know very little about how obesity changes the cells and tissues of the bowel, or how these changes might lead to bowel cancer developing. One gene that may help explain this link is CHMP2A, which helps cells:

• Remove waste
• Recycle unwanted materials
• Divide normally

Early evidence suggests CHMP2A may play a role in bowel cancer as its levels change in response to weight loss. Some studies have linked higher CHMP2A levels and changes in the CHMP2A gene to a greater risk of bowel cancer.

CHMP2A levels have also been found to be higher in bowel cancer tissue than in healthy bowel tissue, adding to growing evidence that this gene could be involved in the disease.

Project aims

We will investigate the role of CHMP2A in bowel cancer by reducing the activity of the gene in cells and examining the effect this has on the proteins they produce.

Using a technique called gene knockdown, we can lower CHMP2A activity to better understand its function.

We will then use proteomic analysis, which measures all the proteins present in a cell, to identify proteins and biological pathways that change when CHMP2A activity is reduced.

What we hope to achieve

Understanding how CHMP2A influences cell behaviour could provide new insights into how bowel cancer develops, potentially highlighting targets for future treatments.